Qantas hikes fuel surcharges up to 40%, adds fuel charge to frequent flyer award tickets

Qantas will increase fuel surcharges by as much as 50% across international and domestic tickets from April 28, while also introducing fuel surcharges on frequent flyer award tickets made under its Classic Award system.

Travellers from Australia to the UK and Europe will face a $290 fuel surcharge on top of the cost of their ticket and other fees and taxes, up from the current $190.

The fuel surcharge for flights to the US and Canada jumps from $150 to $250, with India, South American and South Africa up from $150 to $200. Flights to Asia and the Pacific will now cost an extra $40 after the fuel surcharge went up from $105 to $145.

Domestic airfares are in for smaller increases, such as $5 between Sydney and Melbourne (the current $112 fuel surcharge will be raised to $117) and an extra $12 between Sydney and Perth (going from $245 to $257). See our breakdown list below for full details of the surcharge for specific destinations.

Tickets bought with Qantas Frequent Flyer points under the Classic Award seat redemption program will now carry an additional $10 in fuel surcharge for travel within Australia and $20 for flights to New Zealand.

Classic Award tickets have previously been exempt from fuel surcharges. However, international travel made using frequent flyer points under the Classic Award scheme will remain exempt from the new charges, at least for the time being.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is not ruling out further increases, saying "our international surcharges and Domestic, Regional and Tasman fares remain under review, and further increases will be considered if necessary."

This marks Qantas' fourth increase in fuel surcharge ticket costs since the beginning of the year, although the Australian flag-carrier has not been alone in raising prices to counter the climbing cost of oil prices.

Virgin Blue (and sister airline V Australia), Air New Zealand, British Airways and Singapore Airlines have all introduced higher travel costs in the past few months citing the continued rise in oil and jet fuel prices.

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.